Welsh Secretary shows her support for White Ribon Day

This was published under the 2010 to 2015 Conservative and Liberal Democrat coalition government

Secretary of State for Wales Cheryl Gillan has today offered her support for International Day to Eliminate Violence Against Women (White Ribbon…

Secretary of State for Wales Cheryl Gillan has today offered her support for International Day to Eliminate Violence Against Women (White Ribbon Day).

From today, an international campaign, 16 Days of Action Against Gender Violence, will begin and will culminate in Human Rights Day on 10th December. The Secretary of State will sign the White Ribbon Campaign’s pledge, promising never to commit, condone, or remain silent about men’s violence against women in all its forms.

Secretary of State for Wales Cheryl Gillan said: “White Ribbon day is crucial in highlighting the issues surrounding domestic violence and its implications for women, children and families. It is a symbol of hope and strength not only of the survivors of domestic violence but also of the strength we have as a community, in not condoning or staying silent about domestic violence.

”Violence against women and girls is symptomatic of the fact that our attitudes towards women still need to change. As a former Minister for Women, I am all too aware that it is a universal problem which must be tackled in order for women and girls to participate fully and equally in all aspects of society. The UK Government currently has a number of proposed measures in place to tackle violence and intimidation of women including a consultation on stalking and a domestic violence disclosure scheme. We are committed to improving the response to rape, more training and early intervention programmes, new powers and better support for victims.”

The Secretary of State also offered her support for male victims of domestic violence. She said: “I would also like to extend my support for male victims of domestic violence whose plight can often slip into the shadows and go unheard. Violence can never be tolerated or justified and it is crucial that we also recognise that women can also be perpetrators of physical, psychological, sexual and financial abuse. Age, gender roles, race and disability become invisible where intimidation, assault and abuse take place. We need to recognise that violence is toxic for family life and we need to do all we can to ensure that victims of domestic violence are protected and supported. I will be signing the pledge this week to state that I will not condone or stay silent about violence and I hope that others will do the same.”

Notes to editors:

1.) White Ribbon Day is named after the White Ribbon Campaign, which asks men to wear a white ribbon to symbolise their pledge to “never commit, condone or remain silent about violence against women”.